


Beginning and the End

by Shi_Toyu



Series: Beginning and the End [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Bot Feels, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Consent, Consent is Sexy, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Guilt, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Tony Stark, Platonic Cuddling, Protective Bots, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Protectiveness, Rutting, Sassy Bucky Barnes, Social Commentary, Survivor Guilt, Team as Family, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark's Bots Are His Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-12 23:59:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9096289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: Tony Stark: Genius, Billionaire, Omega, Philanthopist, Youngest Member of the AvengersJames "Bucky" Barnes: Soldier, Alpha, HYDRA Asset, Besotted Fool That about sums it up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celtic7irish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celtic7irish/gifts).



> Here you go, celtic7irish! I liked all your prompts so much that I had to get them all into one fic!
> 
> 1\. Steve is off being an idiot again, alone, without backup. Bucky’s not having it. Neither is Tony. With the two of them teamed up, nobody stands a chance. Along the way, the two of them manage to find more common ground than either expected.  
> 2\. Bucky was responsible for the death of Howard and Maria Stark. But he didn’t complete the mission. Now, Anthony Stark is at the very top of his list. But Tony won’t give up that easily. He’s got some surprises of his own.  
> 3\. The Winter Soldier is tracking Captain America. He tracks him right to the Avengers Tower. Unfortunately for him, he fails to see the trap that Iron Man has laid. And Iron Man? He’s got his own plans for the unlucky Soldier.  
> 4\. A/B/O – Bucky Barnes wasn’t ready for the Rut – he hadn’t gone through it since he’d been taken by Hydra. And without an Omega to protect, he’s slowly going crazy. Tony Stark is loud, mouthy, and unwilling to submit – no Alpha in their right mind wants a bossy omega. Lucky for both of them, Bucky’s not exactly normal.  
> 5\. Bucky Barnes is a natural protector. After his transformation into Captain America, Steve doesn’t need Bucky to protect him anymore. But when Bucky meets the Avengers for the first time, his attention is immediately caught by the dark-haired man with the brilliant mind. Smart but reckless with his own safety, without the training that the rest of his team has or the invulnerability of the Hulk, Tony Stark need protection. The problem? He doesn’t want protection from anybody, much less the person he knows to be responsible for his parents’ death.
> 
>  
> 
> For the sake of continuity, please be aware that Edwin Jarvis passed away previous to the events of this fic. (That being said, I am interested in writing an AU where Jarvis was in Afghanistan with Tony instead of Yinsen. So, let me know if anyone would like to see that.)

Mission Report – Mission 28593XB

December 20, 2001

 

Asset ‘Winter Soldier’ was deployed at 0700 EST on the morning of December 16 to mission assignment. With the recovery of Captain America, A.K.A. Steven Grant Rogers, from the arctic by the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division and project leader Howard Anthony Walter Stark, it has become increasingly apparent that additional super soldiers are essential to furthering the cause set forth by our organization’s illustrious founder. See: Intelligence Report 5367DL92Z. Sources inside of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (referred to as S.H.I.E.L.D. for the remainder of this report and its accompanying file) provided the necessary information related to the recovery of samples purported to be viable super soldier serum. See: Intelligence Reports 5367DL94A – 5368QP02.

Samples were reported to be in the custody of known enemy Howard Anthony Walter Stark (referred to as Howard Stark for the remainder of this report and its accompanying file). Security measures at the Stark Mansion were deemed too extensive to risk a break in. Opportune moment for acquisition was reported to be mid-transport on the evening of December 16. The asset ‘Winter Soldier’(referred to as WS for the remainder of this report and its accompanying file) was directed to take point on this mission. No additional forces were appointed to participate. Howard Stark was meant to be in the company of Maria Collins Carbonell Stark (wife) and Anthony Edward Stark (son). All three targets were to be eliminated.

WS took position on an old service road off of the route where the targets were said to be set to travel on at 1700 EST. See: Attached map diagram for exact position. The targets passed the road at 1946 EST in a Bentley Arnage. WS pursued on motorcycle, following closely for 25 meters before delivering a single blow to the left, rear fender with the asset’s metal arm to unbalance the car and send it into a crash.  The vehicle spun off the road and into a tree, rendering the vehicle inoperable. WS then confirmed that only two targets were in the car, Howard Stark and Maria Collins Carbonell Stark. Howard Stark’s injuries from the crash led to death within minutes while WS smothered Maria Collins Carbonell Stark to ensure her death before retrieving the case of serum samples from the trunk of the vehicle.

WS delivered the samples into HYDRA custody before being dispatched to the Stark Mansion in New York, where the Starks had traveled from, in search of Anthony Edward Stark. When the target could not be located there, teams were dispatched at MIT to attempt to find him in his college dorms. At 0817 on the morning of December 17, word was discovered that Anthony Edward Stark was in Afghanistan to present a weapons demonstration of the Jericho missile to the United States Military. His convoy had been attacked by terrorists and his body not recovered. Teams were dispatched to monitor the situation.

WS returned to cryo on December 19, after being transported to the proper facility. Re-deployment will be evaluated when more information surfaces as to the fate of Anthony Edward Stark. His death remains an open mission for the WS until the kill is confirmed.

 

Hail HYDRA

.

..

…

..

.

Tony reeled at the turns his life had taken, hardly able to believe it. Three years ago, the omega genius had been just 17, attending his first solo-weapons demo, when he’d been kidnapped the same day his parents had died in a car accident. He hadn’t even learned of their deaths until months later when he’d blown his way out of those caves and come back home. Finding out that Obie had been the one to set him up had been a shit-storm when he was also having to take over Stark Industries. Thank God for SHIELD swooping in to smooth everything over. Tony would just never admit it where Fury could hear.

Learning that his father had been involved with, had helped _found_ even, a super-secret government organization was more surprising than it probably should have been. Tony blamed the shock and the number of things he was dealing with for being so slow on the uptake. He’d just become a superhero, after all. Then all of a sudden he found himself being invited to join the Avengers, despite Black Widow’s frowns of disapproval, and they were saving the world from an alien invasion. It was a lot to take in.

Now he was twenty years old, flipping the bird to every stereotype that said he needed an alpha to run his life for him, and kicking ass every week with the newest upstart bad guy. He finally felt like a part of the team, hanging out with Brucie in the labs and hosting the entire team in the Stark Tower he’d renovated for just that purpose. Even Natasha seemed to have accepted him into the fold. She’d snuck him an extra _donut_ last week. If that wasn’t love, Tony didn’t know what was. Of course, last week was also the forty-fifth attempt on Tony’s life since Obie had hired the Ten Rings, but who was counting?

The point was, someone wanted Tony dead. Possibly someones.

“This has to stop,” Steve said from the head of the room, frowning deeply. “We have to find out who is responsible for these attacks.”

“Aw, Caspsicle! I knew you cared!”

“This isn’t a joke, Tony! You’re in danger!”

Tony huffed and leaned back in his chair, throwing his feet up on the table. They’d had this conversation enough times for Tony to know no good would come of it.

“Rogers is right,” Fury grumbled from his seat ensconced in shadows like the creepy person he was. “Your father asked me to keep you safe, Tony. I intend to make that happen.”

“Is that why you send me into battle to fight supervillains?”

The look Fury sent him was wholly unamused. Clint reached over to ruffle the young genius’s hair.

“Come off it, Stark. You know we’re just worried about you. Let us protect you, okay? We’re superheroes. It’s kind of our job.”

The omega bristled.

“I don’t _need_ protection. I can look after myself.”

Clint’s muscular arms wrapped around him to pull him close, nearly pulling him clear out of his chair.

“Of course you can, sweetheart. We’ve never doubted you for a moment,” the stupid, obnoxious, jackass said soothingly. “You’re our adorable baby boy, though. We’d be lost without you.”

Tony struggled to get loose enough to punch the bastard.

“I am _so_ not catching your ass the next time you jump off a building.”

Clint grinned at him before finally letting him go. Tony aimed a kick his way that the alpha archer laughingly dodged away from.

“Whoever is behind these attacks, they’ve managed to avoid each and every other attempt to track them down. We’ve caught underlings here and there, but nothing we can make use of. The _only_ thing we know is that someone desperately wants you dead. They’re not even being subtle about it anymore,” Natasha cut in, frowning. “If we want to stop them before they manage to stop _you_ , then we need to be more proactive.”

Tony sulked in his chair.

“How much more proactive can we get? You personally test every member of my security team. No one who isn’t absolutely necessary knows where I am at any given time. I can’t take a piss without SHIELD busting down the door to make sure I’m alright.”

“Exactly,” Natasha acknowledged. “We’ve cut off every avenue of contact, made you completely inaccessible to them. You’re guarded by a team of superheroes on top of your security detail at all times. There’s no way they could get to you without catastrophic collateral damage. It won’t be long before they decide that’s a justifiable approach if it means taking you out, too.”

Tony’s fingers tightened on his armrests. He hated that just being who he was put others in danger. Pepper’s security force already rivaled his own. There had been multiple attempts to take her in order to draw him out into a more vulnerable position.

“Fuckin’ super villains,” he growled.

Steve sent him a disapproving scowl.

“Language,” he reprimanded. “But you’re not wrong. Something needs to be done before things get worse and people get hurt. I take it you have an idea, Natasha?”

The female beta shrugged delicately, her gaze cutting over to watch Tony thoughtfully.

“If we want to draw them out, we’re going to have to give them what they want.”

“You mean using Tony as bait,” Bruce finally contributed. He didn’t sound happy. “Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”

“If we orchestrate the whole thing and take the proper precautions, it doesn’t have to be. We can control the situation instead of letting them control it.”

“And if Tony gets hurt?” Steve challenged. “That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“All due respect, _alpha_ ,” Tony drawled, “that’s not your decision.” He turned to Natasha, raising his chin. “I’m in. What’re you thinking?”

Natasha’s sharp grin was wicked and proud.

.

..

…

..

.

The Winter Soldier slipped easily through the shadows of the loading bay area, having exited the back of the lorry without being seen. His handlers had been excited to find this little loophole in the Stark Industries security for the New York tower. It’d been cleverly hidden, which is why they’d missed it before, but they’d suited the Winter Soldier up as soon as they’d discovered it. They weren’t going to risk missing the opportunity. The Winter Soldier was just focused on completing his mission. It’d taken far too long already. He’d never had a target able to evade him for years at a time. Of course, he’d never had a target that ran around in a suit of technological armor surrounded by superheroes either.

He moved towards the express freight elevator that went directly to the executive levels of the tower. The ones that went to the topmost floors, where the Avengers dwelled, were wrapped many times over with layers of security. The one for the executive floor was much easier to get through. He used the key card he’d swiped from one of the delivery workers to activate the lift and was soon on his way. Once he reached the executive floors, he would be able to steal another access card or break into the office of Tony Stark, his target, and take the direct elevator therein to the higher floors.

The plan was risky, considering the number of heroes that lived in the tower and the high probability of the asset being noticed, but nothing else had worked. HYDRA wouldn’t get the chance to get this close again. The asset was the only one with the skills it would require to get in unnoticed, if it was possible, and eliminate the target. It remained to be seen whether he’d be able to get back out again. HYDRA would take whatever steps were necessary in the event he couldn’t. If it came down to it, the asset would be eliminated. It would be worth it to remove the target from the equation.

The carpet on the executive floor was plush beneath the soles of the Winter Soldier’s heavy boots. It was probably meant for comfort, but it muffled his footfalls even more. He was in a bland, navy jumpsuit instead of his normal leathers, with a cap pulled down low over his face to keep it hidden from security cameras. He was carrying a pocket jammer, but he wanted to save that for when he was escaping. Shutting down the cameras too early could tip someone off before he could reach his target. A tool box held in one hand guaranteed no one would pay much attention to him.

Department Heads, board members, and secretaries passed the asset by without a second glance. He’d long ago been trained to make himself invisible while standing in plain sight. It was much easier to do that when the people who saw him immediately wrote him off as unimportant.

Anthony Stark’s office took up the space of three regular offices, based on what the Winter Soldier could see from the hallway. The doors were clear glass, floor to ceiling, and the walls were a glass that had been fogged over. Intel provided by the handlers suggested that the opaqueness could be changed at any time. The Winter Soldier was glad that he wouldn’t be on display once he was out of direct line of sight. It would have severely limited his time frame. There was a keypad next to the door, requiring a code before the door could be opened. The Winter Soldier set his toolbox on the ground and pulled off the cover for the pad.

It was a matter of seconds for him to attach a decryptor to the keypad and start it running through all the possible sequences. The occasional person still passed through the halls, but none of them seemed overly concerned. He marked each of their passages, including the young, twenty-something brunette who slowed to a stop behind him. A whiff of the air identified the boy as another alpha, though his demeanor didn’t mark him as a particularly confrontational one.

“Um, what are you doing?”

The Winter Soldier didn’t spare him a glance, feigning the indifference of an overworked employee.

“Maintenance,” he grunted. “Routine security update.”

There was no way this kid, who was barely older than the target himself, would have been around the company long enough to know how things worked. He probably wasn’t even out of college yet, just some intern or executive’s son who got dragged in for the day.

“I’m not…” the boy started with a frown, sounding unsure, then switched tactics. “Mr. Stark usually does his own security updates.”

The Winter Soldier heaved a one-armed shrug.

“I was told to come up and do it. I just do what I’m told.”

Mentally, he calculated whether or not he should just kill the kid and get it over with. The decision was made for him as the decryptor beeped completion at the same time the kid pulled out a cell phone. He grabbed the kid’s arm, yanked the door open and threw him inside. He tossed the decryptor in after the boy and hastily shoved the cover of the keypad back on without securing it. The other alpha was back on his feet by the time the Winter Soldier was through the door as well. His hackles were raised.

“If you’re here to hurt Tony,” he threatened, “then you’ve got another thing coming.”

The asset growled viciously, reacting to the threat and making the boy stiffen more. No alpha could ever let another alpha’s challenge lie. He knocked the phone from the boy’s hands, taking hold of his wrists and twisting them behind his back to wrap them both in metal fingers. The boy struggled, but stopped quickly as soon as the Winter Soldier nudged the back of his skull with the muzzle of his gun.

“You are familiar with Anthony Edward Stark.”

It was a statement, not a question. The younger alpha had slipped when he called the target ‘Tony’, a known and regularly used name but one that a simple employee wouldn’t use in a professional environment. The Winter Soldier could use this.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he warned, before slowly lowering and holstering his gun. It’d be a simple thing to kill the boy without it, anyway.

The Winter Soldier frisked him quickly until he found the other alpha’s security pass card. Then he marched the kid over to the understated elevator that took up the far wall, between Stark’s office and Virginia Potts’s. He held the card up to the scanner, then ushered the boy inside as soon as the doors opened.

“Take me to Stark’s private lab,” he said, getting the gun back out. “Take me anywhere else and I shoot you in the head. Try to escape and I shoot you in the head. Try to warn anyone and-“

“Let me guess, you shoot me in the head,” the kid cut him off, seeming more pissed off than actually scared. “Tony’s gonna kick your ass, you know.”

“If you do as I say,” the Winter Soldier continued, ignoring him, “you will make it out of this alive.”

It was a lie, but the boy didn’t need to know that. He just needed to cooperate. Judging by the expression on his face, the boy didn’t have any plans to.

“No shooting my interns,” a voice said, filtering through the elevator’s speakers. The Winter Soldier cursed internally. “I like Parker’s brains right where they are. I’m bringing you up to my lab now, okay?”

Placating, soothing, trying to keep the Winter Soldier calm. There was a reason more hostage negotiators were omegas than any other orientation. Those techniques wouldn’t work on the Winter Soldier.

“No tricks,” he demanded, as the elevator began to move.

“No tricks,” the disembodied voice of Anthony Edward Stark agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little mix of angst to start us off. Bucky settles into the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up a bit ahead of schedule but that's okay! I'm sure no one will mind. :) Enjoy!

There had been tricks.

The Winter Soldier had believed the upper hand still his when he arrived in Anthony Stark’s lab, as promised, the genius omega was unarmored and appearing alone. It seemed the team was elsewhere. It wasn’t until he took his gun off of Parker, the alpha intern, that the Winter Soldier discovered his mistake. The team wasn’t elsewhere, they were hiding. The dart that hit the asset’s neck wasn’t enough of a tranquilizer to take him down, but it was enough to throw him off so that Parker could escape. Stark darted forward to grab the boy, ushering him away to dubious safety.

“You just _had_ to go and get involved, didn’t you?” the genius groused. “I should have known you’d manage to find any trouble that got in the tower. Cap! Do it now! He’s not going down!”

A familiar shield flew toward the Winter Soldier, catching him by surprise and throwing him backward across the room. Captain America followed swiftly after it. The Winter Soldier growled again. He hadn’t been sent up against the Captain before, but the other’s return from the Arctic had not been well-received by HYDRA’s forces. The Captain had been the downfall of numerous operations, the downfall of the Red Skull. HYDRA wanted him dead almost as much as they wanted Anthony Stark dead. The only difference was that Stark could make the Captain even _more_ dangerous. The Winter Soldier pulled out a gun and started shooting.

While the Captain ducked behind his shield to avoid the shots, a black blur hit him from the side. The Black Widow, he was able to identify after a moment of exchanging blows. She was a former KGB agent, a formidable beta to be going up against. Her training had been second only to his own. Facing off against her and the Captain at the same time would be difficult, but not impossible. At least Thor hadn’t yet made an appearance.

The Winter Soldier switched his gun out in favor of a knife, slashing at the Black Widow with the wicked blade. He drew a second knife as soon as he had space and prepared to face them both. A second dart flew at him, but he struck it out of the air. Then the Captain was in his face, pushing hair out of the way and grabbing on. His mouth hung open in utter amazement.

“Bucky?” he asked, tone full of awe.

The Winter Soldier knifed him in the side, shoving him away.

“Who the Hell is Bucky?”

The Black Widow attacked again, dancing just clear of his knives and keeping the alpha occupied so the Captain could pull himself together and rejoin the fight. The Winter Soldier bared his teeth at the blond alpha, asserting his own dominance and telling him to back down. The Captain didn’t. They traded blows, the Widow all technique and grace while the Captain was sheer strength. It pushed the Winter Soldier to his limits.

“Move!”

Both of the Winter Soldier’s opponents dove out of the way just in time to avoid the repulsor blast that hit the Winter Soldier square in the chest. He cracked the wall he was thrown into on impact. Three more darts struck him before he could even twitch. He struggled against the sedatives that were already beginning to flood his system. Captain America cursed colorfully as he rushed towards the soldier.

“Did you hurt him?” the Captain asked with an alpha growl.

“Uh, pretty sure he was planning to kill me, I should be excused some violence,” Stark responded, not sounding at all perturbed. The Winter Soldier watched with dimming vision as the young man swaggered forward. “But no worries. My lasers were set to stun. I know we need him alive for interrogation.”

Captain America growled even more viciously.

“That’s _Bucky_.”

Whatever that meant.

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..

…

..

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Tony didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.

Three months ago, the Winter Soldier had fallen into their trap. He’d ‘broken into’ the tower with the intent of killing Tony and had taken Tony’s favorite intern hostage. He’d been restrained, tracked back to HYDRA, and secured in the Hulk ‘play room’ despite Bruce’s protests. Steve wasn’t going to let the Winter Soldier be held anywhere else, even SHIELD, once he found out that the legendary assassin was really his good ol’ war buddy James ‘Bucky’ Barnes.

Once again, Tony didn’t like it. He liked it even less when their digging through HYDRA files led to the discovery that the Winter Soldier had been behind the deaths of Tony’s parents. Apparently, Howard had been too much a threat, while Tony’s mom had just known too much. HYDRA’s hit on Tony was just so that he wouldn’t follow in his father’s footsteps of making HYDRA’s life more difficult, a mission that had become more desperate when he started working with SHIELD. All in all, Tony felt like the whole thing was utter bullshit.

Steve was insistent about rehabilitating his dear old dead pal, though, and Steve was like Juggernaut when he got an idea in his head. There wasn’t a thing in the world that could stop him. And, if he was being completely honest, Tony did feel sorry for Barnes. He’d been tortured and brainwashed for decades, defrosted only for training and to be sent out to murder people. He deserved to have at least a bit of his life back, what he could get back at this point, at least. So Tony did his part to help; research, calling in experts for consultations, building experimental machines to monitor Barnes’s brainwaves.

Today, doing his part to help apparently also meant bringing lunch down to the captive. Everyone else was out of the tower and Barnes had regained enough of himself that he was actually safe to be around. He’d stopped attacking each and every one of them on sight after the first three weeks, stopped growling after seven. He didn’t remember quite who he was, but he remembered he was Bucky, James. He had a few memories. He’d have conversations with the others. Tony mostly just steered clear of him.

“Alright, old timer,” he called out as he entered the room, now adapted with real furniture for a regular-sized person and not just a Hulk. “Lunch time. Today’s menu includes a ham sandwich and chips because I have the culinary capacity of a five-year-old. The sandwich even has lettuce and tomato so Cap can’t complain I didn’t make you eat your vegetables.”

Across the room, Barnes rose from his couch in one smooth motion, placing his book aside. He prowled towards Tony like a hunter stalking prey.

“And if I pick them off?”

“Then you don’t get the plums I brought for dessert.”

Barnes snorted his amusement.

“Now there’s some good motivation,” he said with a grin. His expression shifted to a soft frown as he took the tray from Tony though. “Where’s yours?”

Tony’s brow furrowed.

“Um, nowhere?”

“You’re not gonna eat?”

“I’m more of a snacker than a meal kinda guy,” he said, though he wasn’t sure why it even mattered to Barnes. “I’ve got some nuts stashed away in my lab, which I should really be getting back to.”

Barnes cocked his head to the side, blue-grey eyes sweeping over Tony’s form.

“You aren’t gonna stay?”

“No?”

“The others always stay.”

Tony scowled, starting to feel defensive.

“The others don’t run a fortune 500 company, consult for the top secret agency in the world, and engineer all the fun toys for a team of superheroes. I’m kinda busy.”

Barnes nodded seriously in understanding.

“You don’t like me.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“But it’s true.”

Tony glared at him.

“I was _trying_ to be nice.”

“Why?”

“Because Steve’s likely to punch anyone who so much as looks at you sideways?”

“No, I mean, why don’t you like me? Or more, why do you dislike me? You’ve spent less time with me than any other member of the Avengers team. You’ve hardly been around me enough to draw judgment. Is it because you were my target?”

Tony could feel his expression shuttering. His hands fisted at his side. His teeth ground together.

“It’s because you killed my mom, asshole.”

And then Tony turned on his heel and stomped out of the room, taking a bit too much pleasure in the sound of the door locking behind him.

.

..

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..

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Bucky was a terrible human being. He was the worst kind of scum to ever walk the face of the earth. It wasn’t bad enough that he’d killed people at HYRDA’s command. It wasn’t bad enough that he’d _stabbed_ his best friend. It wasn’t even bad enough that he’d been far enough gone on HYDRA’s programming to turn around and kill _Howard_. No, now he had to go and decide that Howard’s son was the most attractive being he’d ever set eyes on.

Big, soulful eyes framed by dark lashes, chocolate hair always in an artful mess that made him want to run his fingers through it, smooth skin that always held the perfect amount of tan to look golden. Oh, yes. Anthony Edward Stark may have been his target once for HYDRA, but it appeared that he was now in Bucky’s sights for a whole different reason.

Because Bucky was a sick freak.

Tony was cordial, of course, because he was an amazing person, but he didn’t hide the anger or disdain he felt for Bucky. It was in those gorgeous eyes whenever they turned on the former assassin, underlining every word that fell from those full lips. There was none of the familiarity and friendliness that Tony showed the other members of the Avengers team. His scent was dark and musky around Bucky, only bare traces of his usual brightness lingering.

Bucky ached to get a sniff of his scent without the bitterness of hatred. Because Tony? Tony smelled _damn_ good. There was just something about it, like toasted coconut and almonds, that it drove Bucky just a little bit crazy. He wasn’t about to say anything about it, not even to Steve, but that didn’t stop him from noticing it. He was kind of glad Tony always disappeared into the lab for his heats. Bucky didn’t need _that_ scent in his nose.

His physical features and scent aside, Bucky just had to be drawn to everything _else_ about the omega, too. Now that he’d been allowed out of his lavish prison cell, five months after his capture, Bucky got to see more and more of Tony in a communal setting. He learned about Tony’s witty tongue and clever mind. He was fascinated whenever talk of business or politics came up and Tony managed to cut through the bullshit to lay it all on the table, cut and dry. For all his loud mouth and brash attitude, though, he was impossibly kind. As evidenced by Bucky not being out on his ass in the street. He was unbelievable.

So, yeah, Bucky was carrying a bit of a torch for the fella. That didn’t mean anybody had to _know_.

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..

…

..

.

Bucky was pretty sure every member of the Avengers except Tony _knew_.

He’d tried to keep it under wraps, but there was only so much mooning he could do over a fella before his best friend picked up on it, not to mention the two super spies. Clint was a filthy gossip-monger, too, which meant Thor, Bruce, and Wilson found out in no time. It might have actually been Steve who told Wilson, come to think of it. Bucky couldn’t be sure. The point was, the Avengers sucked. As evidenced by Clint snickering when Bucky greeted Tony with a mug of coffee the second he arrived at the breakfast table.

“Coffee?”

Tony cast the mug a suspicious look.

“Thanks, but I’ll grab my own.”

He brushed past Bucky without waiting for his response, heading for the coffee machine and his life’s elixir. The ex-assassin tried not to let the rejection sting. Hell, it was pretty routine by this point. He should be used to it. It was just… he _wanted_ Tony to like him. He didn’t need a relationship, even if he’d had more than one horribly inappropriate wet dream about the omega, but he wanted to prove that he wasn’t the same guy he’d been before, with HYDRA.

Tony knew that, of course. He knew all about the brainwashing and the effects of the electrical pulses HYDRA had used, probably in more detail than even Bucky himself knew, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still blame Bucky for the death of his mom. Which Bucky understood. He really did. Tony was already being incredibly selfless and forgiving by giving him a home and helping make him better. It was just that Bucky wanted _more_. He didn’t have any right to, but he did.

Still, Tony’s _mom._ Bucky wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forgive somebody for something like that.

He’d do what he could to make up for it, though. The team might think all the care he took around Tony and the help he tried to give was due to his crush, and maybe a bit of it was, but really it was about making up for the atrocities he’d already committed. Bucky would put up with all the teasing, with every snicker, because Tony deserved the apology. He was an amazing man and Bucky would respect whatever decision he made, but the alpha would always continue to try and make up for what he’d done.

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Barnes was just weird, Tony had decided. He didn’t make any effort to hide his disappointment at all the times Tony had more or less been an ass to him. He also wouldn’t stop being so confusingly _nice_. He kept going out of his way to do things for Tony; preparing coffee for him every morning even though Tony always turned it down, offering to let Tony tamper with his arm in any way the genius saw fit, instantly rallying behind any suggestion Tony made for team movie night. He’d held the door to the pantry open for Tony one time when he’d surfaced from his lab in search of a snack.

Barnes never made any comments about why he kept doing these things, which was also odd. Clint seemed to think it was hilarious, but Tony had finally just written it off as some 40’s thing. Steve could get like that, too, sometimes. It just didn’t make the whole thing any less odd.

It also hadn’t escaped Tony’s notice that Barnes only ever did it for _him,_ either. When he’d finally picked up on that little piece of the puzzle, he’d railed at Natasha for a solid twenty minutes about just where Barnes could shove his, “outdated, orientationist bullshit.” She’d finally just cut him off and told him that Tony being an omega didn’t have anything to do with Barnes’s actions. She hadn’t told him why Barnes _was_ doing it, but at least it wasn’t because of Tony’s orientation. He didn’t need to be coddled. He could look after his own damn self, thank you very much.

And, really, if Tony was being completely honest, he’d have to admit that Barnes didn’t actually seem all that condescending like most alphas were when taking care of an omega. He didn’t seem to make it about Tony’s orientation or his. He just seemed to be trying to help. It didn’t hurt that he also seemed obsessed with making sure Steve was all taken care of. He’d forced Steve into wearing extra layers practically every day of winter so he wouldn’t “catch a cold.” It was kind of ridiculous.

That didn’t mean he had to like the guy, though. He was witty and maybe, in a different world, Tony would have enjoyed hanging out with him, would have been his friend. It wasn’t like Tony was _blind_ , after all, and he saw how Barnes interacted with the rest of the team. There was just no possibility of it in _this_ world, the world where Barnes had killed his mother just a few, scant years before. It wasn’t personal, really, but Tony kind of hated his guts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bucky get in a bit of bonding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kept almost forgetting to post this... Glad I didn't let the week get past me! Sorry, guys! I'll go better, I swear.

 “Steve did _what_?!” Bucky growled viciously.

Tony, still stomping around in his armor, seemed just as pissed. Between his vicious stabbing at his hollow screens and Natasha’s deep scowl despite the blood on her face, it was clear _none_ of the Avengers were happy.

“I know!” the genius cried. “What sort of complete idiot grabs onto a supervillain right before she fucking _teleports_?”

“Are you able to track him down, friend Stark?”

Tony made some noncommittal grumbling in the face of Thor’s question, but it was Bruce that answered through his clear exhaustion.

“If anyone can do it, it’ll be Tony. I’m just worried about us going back out there once he _does_ find Steve.”

Bucky’s spine stiffened.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not exactly in optimum shape,” Natasha allowed through gritted teeth. “Clint’s in medical, there’s no way Bruce could shift into the Hulk again so soon, Sam’s grounded until his wings can be repaired, and, while I _can_ fight, I’d probably end up being more of a liability than an asset. That’s four of us down, not even including Steve. Thor and Tony can’t go after him on their own.”

Tony bared his teeth at her in a very un-omega-like gesture.

“I’d like to see you try and stop us.”

Thor just shook his head gravely.

“The Lady Widow is right. We cannot afford to lose any more members of our team. The Captain is strong. Find his location and we will go as quickly as we can, but we will go when our brothers can go with us. We should wait a day, so that we may regain our own strength.”

Tony looked mutinous and he spun on his heel to stomp away.

“Right. Whatever. Hopefully, there’ll be enough of Cap left to find when you finally decide we’re ‘good and ready.’”

Bruce sighed heavily, before turning his attention to Bucky. He reached out to squeeze the alpha’s flesh arm gently.

“Look, I know you must be worried about Steve, but we’ll get him back. Maybe we’ll even manage to teach him a thing or two about self-preservation this time.”

Bucky wasn’t so sure, but he mustered up a smile for Bruce anyway. Then he slowly edged out of the room until he could flee without being obvious about it. He headed straight for the labs.

“I want in,” he demanded as soon as the doors opened.

Tony, who’d been flicking away at a screen while JARVIS’s arms swarmed around him and did minor repairs on the suit he was still wearing, turned toward him with a thunderous expression.

“In on what?”

“You’re going after Steve.” It wasn’t a question. “I’m coming with you.”

Tony glared.

“You’re not cleared to leave the tower yet. I can do this on my own.”

“You don’t even know what you’re going up against. Look, Steve’s my _best friend._ What could it hurt to take me along?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Let me count the ways,” Tony spat venomously. “One, I don’t trust you not to revert to your HYDRA programing. It’s still _in_ there. Two, we don’t know what we’re gonna find when we get there and I don’t need you going out of your mind because something’s happened to him. Three, I don’t need Steve getting pissed at _me_ for taking you into a dangerous situation. Four-“

“Okay, okay, you’ve made your point,” Bucky cut him off. “So let me make mine clear, too. If you don’t take me with you, I’m going to follow you.”

Tony snorted.

“Oh, yeah? You gonna fly after me? I’m sure that’s going to work out _great_.”

“I’ll steal a quinjet,” Bucky threatened right back, “probably blow whatever stealth angle you’re planning to use to get inside without being seen. _Or_ you could just _take me with you_.”

“You’re too much of a liability.”

“Funny. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would say the same about _you_.”

Tony reared back.

“Excuse me? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re completely human, Tony. You have no enhancements, no super soldier serum or radiation to make you stronger. You’re not an alien god like Thor. You haven’t been training in combat like Sam, Natasha and Clint. Your suit gives you an incredible advantage in combat but without it? You’re squishy.”

Tony’s hands curled into fists.

“Did you just call me fat? I am _not_ fat.”

Bucky gave him a deadpan look.

“You know damn well that’s not what I said.”

Tony huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, but you’re still not coming.”

“I think you missed the part where this wasn’t a discussion. Here’s the new deal, you let me come or I go run tell Natasha her zaika is about to run off without backup into an extremely dangerous situation.”

Tony gaped at him.

“ _Jesus Christ_ , are you trying to get me killed?”

“More like trying to keep you alive while getting my best friend back.”

Tony groaned and grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “You’re worse than Steve.”

“Fine,” the young genius gave in finally, looking Bucky over with a critical eye. “But if we’re going into combat, you’re gonna need some gear.”

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“This. Is. _Amazing_!” Bucky crowed as he threw himself into a roll before returning fire. The guns Tony had armed him with responded as easily as if they were a part of him. “I am never using something you didn’t make ever again, I swear to God.”

Tony snickered in his ear, over the coms.

“Well, you sure do know how to flatter a guy. At least you’ve got good taste.”

Bucky snorted, stopping an enemy combatant dead in his tracks with a bullet between his eyes.

“I’m so jealous that Steve gets to play with your toys all the time.”

A repulsor blast flew over Bucky’s head to take out the next group of guards.

“Make sure you tell him that when we get him back. He says he doesn’t want me spending so much time making things for the team. He still wants me to go back to school.”

“ _Back_ to school?” Bucky asked as they cleared the corner and headed down the next corridor. The prison block where Steve was being held should be coming up soon. “Don’t you have, like, three Masters degrees?”

Tony retracted his gloves and pulled out some tools to work on the electronic lock at the end of the hall.

“Well, yeah, but I originally intended to get Doctorates.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“No time,” Tony said as the lock emitted a beep, the light on top turning from red to green. Bucky opened fire on the guards as Tony opened the door. “I can handle MIT no problem, and SI, SHIELD, and the Avengers no problem, but I can’t handle them all at once. It’s fine, though. It’s not like I don’t know all of it by now. I just don’t have the piece of paper to go with it. I’ll get around to it eventually.”

Bucky was about to ask why he hadn’t just waited to take over SI and start helping SHIELD when he realized he already _knew_. Tony had been in the middle of his schooling at MIT when the Winter Soldier had killed Howard and Maria Stark. Obadiah Stane had taken control of Stark Industries for the three months Tony had been missing, but then the company had been lawfully Tony’s as soon as he was back on American soil. He couldn’t leave it in Stane’s care, what with the betrayal and then Stane dying. Tony had no choice but to take over as CEO himself.

Bucky had done that to him. Yet another thing he’d taken away from the brilliant young omega.

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“I can’t _believe_ the two of you would be so stupid!”

“Oh, _we’re_ the stupid ones, punk? You’re the one who grabbed an enemy right before they teleported! What the Hell was that?”

“I couldn’t just let them get away!”

“Right, because them _capturing_ you is _such_ a better alternative,” Barnes snapped, punching Cap in the shoulder. “This is why you need a chaperone.”

Cap gaped at him, much to Tony’s unending glee. God, he could watch this all day. This was _great_.

“Bucky, come off it-“

“Oh, no. Don’t you even _start_ with me,” Bucky cut him off, doing a great impression of an overworked, single mother with his hands on his hips and his hair in a messy bun, his scowl of disapproval promising trouble. “Every time I let you out of my sight, you do something stupid. I pop into the dime store on the corner, your punk ass starts a fight in the alley beside it. I get drafted into the army, you sign up for a _dubious science experiment._ I fall off a train, _you crash your God damn plane into the arctic and go missing for sixty years_. This is the final straw! I will not have it!”

Tony wanted to jump up and down giggling when Steve’s expression morphed into a mutinous pout.

“What’re you gonna do? Ground me? You can’t exactly run go tell my Ma on me anymore.”

“He should join the team,” Tony butted in, bringing himself to the attention of both super soldiers. They both turned to stare at him. “I mean, he’s got the skills, right? He should be going out in the field with us. I’ll make him some new gear.”

“What about the stuff you gave me for the raid?”

“Pshh,” Tony waved the words away. “Those were just Stone Age Steve over there’s castoffs. I’ll make you some stuff designed for _you_.”

“Well, damn, if that’s what you call a castoff, I’m happy to be a beggar at your door any day.”

Tony grinned at him, and that’s how Barnes wound up becoming an Avenger.

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Grudgingly, Tony had to admit that maybe, _possibly_ Barnes wasn’t so bad. He and Tony weren’t _friends_ per se, but the omega’s cold attitude was defrosting a bit. After their rescue mission of Steve, (and the one after that… and the one after _that_ ) they’d started spending more time with each other. Tony’d needed to study his movements and fighting techniques in order to optimize his custom body armor and weapons. That had led to them talking about unrelated topics, conversations that had bled over into non-lab time. Before he even knew what happened, Tony could name Bucky’s top five favorite movies, knew how he took his coffee, and could count on the man to drop absolutely _anything_ in favor of Indian food or brunch.

It was wreaking havoc on his conscience. He’d be laughing at one of Bucky’s jokes and then think of his mother’s amused smile. He’d be listening to the alpha teasingly croon an old love song to Steve and remember how she’d sung him to sleep. Bucky would be helping him with his hand-to-hand and suddenly he’d wonder if this expression was the one his mother had seen just before she’d been killed. And here Tony was _liking_ the guy.

Some days, he felt physically ill with the guilt.

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“What are you doing here?”

Bucky nearly jumped out of his skin as he spun around, eye’s wide with panic at being caught. Tony stood just a few feet away, scowling, with a bouquet of roses clutched tightly in one fist. The desire to just take off running was almost overwhelming, but Bucky forced his feet not to move.

“Uh…”

“Because we’ve been pretty cool lately but you had better have a damn good reason for being at my parent’s grave on the anniversary of the day you _killed them_.”

Bucky flinched.

“I do, I do,” he rushed to assure. “I swear.”

One of Tony’s eyebrows rose.

“And it would be…”

Bucky swallowed thickly, glancing away and around the graveyard before coming back to focus on the bouquet. They were so white they seemed to almost glow.

“I thought I should visit,” he admitted. “You know, pay my respects, or something.”

Tony’s fingers clenched impossibly tighter.

“…Right,” was pushed past tight lips, and Bucky knew he had to do something fast.

“I thought you’d come later in the day, I guess. I dunno. I just… I didn’t mean for you to see me here. I knew you wouldn’t like it, but I felt like I needed to come. Howard was my _friend_ , kinda, back in the war. Mostly he was Steve’s friend but he was still someone I knew, someone I drank with a few times with the other Howling Commandos. And, God, Maria was your _mom_. I didn’t know her at all but… Shit, Tony, I’m so _sorry_.”

“Do you even remember them?” the young genius asked, voice cracking.

And, God, he really was _young,_ wasn’t he? It was so easy to forget sometimes that he wasn’t even twenty-five yet.

“I remember all of them,” Bucky told him, his own voice growing rough. “I remember every single life HYDRA made me take, but there’s no one I regret more than your parents.”

The bouquet dropped to the ground as the two men collided, clutching at each other in a desperate parody of a hug.

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“Oh, hey, Bu-Am I interrupting something?”

Tony grumbled and shifted closer to the warmth he was curled around. He faintly registered someone running fingers through his hair to settle him back down. He snuffled a bit and did just that.

“Clint,” he distantly registered Bucky growling lowly, “if you wake him, I will break something valuable to you. Right now, I’m leaning toward your bow.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Clint asked, but his voice was quieter despite his words. “You know he’ll just build me a new one.”

“A bone, then,” Bucky bargained. “Maybe two.”

“Fine, fine. Be that way. What’s got your panties in a twist anyway? The same thing that has Tony treating you like his personal teddy bear?”

The fingers in his hair stilled momentarily before going back to stroking again.

“It’s been a rough day.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there.”

The fingers in his hair stilled again, this time long enough for Tony to make a vague noise of protest before they started up again.

“It’s the 20th.”

There was a moment of silence, then, “Shit. I completely forgot.”

Bucky hummed noncommittally.

“How’s he holding up? I mean, I wouldn’t expect him to be cuddling up to _you_ , all things considered. No offense.”

“None taken,” Bucky assured before heaving a sigh. “Tony found me in the graveyard this morning. I was visiting his parent’s grave.”

“ _Shit_.”

“Yeah, he was pretty pissed.”

“So how did you get from that to Netflix and chill?”

“Honestly? Fuck if I know. I thought he was gonna deck me.”

“I wouldn’t blame him.”

“Yeah… Neither would I.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky makes and unexpected discovery and gets a guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up a little early. I'm sure no one is complaining. Special shout out to my wonderful betas who make all this possible for you folks!

Bucky was restless, like he couldn’t stop moving or all his excess energy was just going to burst right out of his skin. He was on edge, too, snapping at anyone and everyone that gave him half an excuse. It didn’t help that Tony was traveling on business and hadn’t been around the whole week it’d been happening so far. He wasn’t even completely sure _why_. He was just so _fucking irritated_ all the time. It terrified him.

“What if it’s HYDRA’s programming coming back? What if there was a hidden trigger or something? I nearly took Natasha’s head off, Stevie,” he shouted as he paced back and forth across Steve’s living room.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”

“Go fuck yourself, Wilson,” Bucky snarled.

Sam held up his hands in surrender and backed away. Steve, who had never been afraid of Bucky even when he _should_ be, placed a placating hand on the other alpha’s shoulder.

“Has anything been going on lately, Bucky? How are your nightmares?”

Bucky dropped his head into his hands with a groan, letting himself fall backwards onto the couch.

“Haven’t had one in nearly three weeks now, so good. I dunno. Something’s happening to me, Stevie, and I don’t know what it is. Maybe… Maybe I should be put back in the Hulk’s playroom, you know, just in case.”

He didn’t have to look at Steve to know he was being glared at.

“Absolutely not.”

“What’s the alternative? I’m _dangerous_. I’m going to hurt somebody! Yeah, Natasha managed to dodge that weight, but what if it’d been Sam? Or _Tony?_ They don’t have enhanced reflexes!”

Steve was silent for a long moment, probably having another one of his psychic conversations with Sam, before his warm bulk settled down beside Bucky on his couch.

“Do you know what this looks like to me, Buck? Honestly? Because it doesn’t seem like HYDRA programing.”

“What, then?” Bucky asked, finally turning his tired gaze back to his best friend.

“It seems like you’re getting ready to go into Rut. I mean, you’ve got all the classic signs.”

“But-But that’s impossible. I haven’t had a Rut since the _forties_. Bruce said that HYDRA messed with my biology. You were _there_ when he gave me the test results.”

“Well, maybe something’s changed. HYDRA also gave you a version of the super soldier serum. Maybe your body is, I don’t know, healing you from whatever chemicals they gave you to keep you from going into Rut. Or maybe it was a routine thing they had to give you and now that they aren’t, your Ruts will start coming back.”

“We should go see Bruce,” Sam added, tentatively re-entering the conversation. “He can run some more tests, give us a clearer picture. Besides, he knows more about this stuff than any of us.”

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“I don’t know how many times I have to say that I’m _really_ not that kind of doctor.”

“So you can’t do it?”

“Of course I can. Let me just take a quick blood sample and I should have an answer for you in about two hours.”

“See, doc? _This_ is why you have to keep saying it. We all know the truth.”

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“So I have good news, and I have bad news. Which do you want first?”

“Oh, God.”

“Right. Good news it is, then,” Bruce said, looking awkward. “Steve’s theory is right, your body is sending you into Rut. Whatever HYDRA did to keep them suppressed is being balanced out.”

“And what’s the bad news?” Steve asked, his gaze darting back and forth between Bruce and Bucky.

The chemist sighed.

“Think of your hormones as a pendulum, if you will. Normally, they swing back and forth between a very moderate range. However, pull that pendulum far to one side, and what’s going to happen when it gets released?”

Dread pooled in Bucky’s gut.

“It swings far to the other side.”

“Right. HYDRA kept your hormones artificially repressed for seventy years. Your body is trying to correct that by overcompensating now that it _can_ produce those hormones again.”

Bucky clenched his fists and took several deep breaths to try and force himself calm.

“So what’s gonna happen? Come on, doc. Give it to me straight.”

Bruce sighed, taking his glasses off to clean them on his shirt. He didn’t respond until they were perched back on his nose again.

“Your Rut’s going to be long, possibly even as long as ten days or more instead of just three. It’s going to be far more intense that a normal Rut, too. Your fits of anger and irritation are only going to get worse. You’re going to lash out more often and more violently unless you have a calming influence.”

“You mean drugs? I know there are drugs these days to help get through a Rut. There are commercials for them on the TV all the time.”

“In all honesty, I’d be hesitant to put any more drugs in your system when it’s still recovering from the drugs that were there before. Besides, the drugs you’re talking about aren’t meant for the kind of hormone output you’ll be dealing with. They wouldn’t even make a dent.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Bucky growled, struggling to fight down the urge to punch something. “It ain’t like I got an omega to cuddle up with and keep me calm!”

Bruce dropped his gaze.

“Well, you sort of do. Judging by your hormone levels, it’s too late to call in a professional service. You wouldn’t be able to get comfortable with them in such a short time, but you’re already comfortable with Tony-“

“ _No_. No, no way. Are you _insane?_ ”

Bruce winced.

“I know it’s not an _ideal_ situation, but-“

“Not _ideal?_ I can’t ask him to do that! Fuck! Just-just lock me in my room or something!”

“You’d just rip the place apart before breaking out, Bucky. Look, I understand this is a lot to take in right now, but it’s the only solution we have.”

“No. No, fuck you, Bruce. I’m not asking him to do that.”

“Come on, Buck…” Steve started in, but Bucky just whirled on him instead, on his feet and in Steve’s face in a heartbeat.

“Don’t fucking start with me, punk. I will rip your fucking throat out.”

“If I may, gentlemen,” JARVIS spoke up from above. “This situation has activated my Safety Alert protocols, under which I have been obligated to inform Sir of what has transpired. With the information provided, he has elected to return to the tower immediately. Ms. Potts has made full assurances that the rest of the business negotiations will be easily handled and there is no great inconvenience in Sir not attending. In fact, she wishes to extend her gratitude and would like to know if Sergeant Barnes would prefer a fruit basket or selection of artisan chocola- Forgive me, Ms. Potts has just informed me that she’s decided to send both.”

There was a beat of silence and then, “ _FUCK!_ ” The piece of equipment Bucky punched, and destroyed, was probably worth more than ten grand.

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There was a light knock on the door to Bucky’s room.

“Hey, it’s Tony. Are you in there?”

Bucky snorted ruefully from inside.

“Like JARVIS didn’t tell you exactly where I was.”

There was a pause, then, “Can I come in?”

“Since when do you _ask?_ ”

“I’m trying to be,” another brief pause, “sensitive to your needs, including the initial desires for solitude and security in the form of designating a den. Periods of adjustment may be needed before an alpha is ready to allow even an omega into close proximity, especially if the alpha feels the den is not fortified enough to keep both him or herself and the omega safe. If children are present in the household they should be present for the Rut, excepting if the omega is in Hea-Oh, wait, pretty sure I can skip that part.”

Bucky yanked the door open, making Tony look up from his tablet.

“ _Christ_ , Tony! Are you reading out of a service pamphlet?”

The young genius just grinned and waved the tablet.

“JARVIS downloaded some ebooks for me to go through, since I’ve never done this kind of thing before. Don’t worry, gimme a few hours to study and I’ll be an expert. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Bucky slumped against the doorframe, feeling exhausted and utterly defeated.

“You shouldn’t be here, Tony. You didn’t have to do this.”

Tony shrugged.

“I’m pretty sure this saved my life, actually. Pepper was getting ready to kill me. Hey, do I get a vote on where this den gets set up? Because it should totally be in my lab. If it’s in my lab then I can totally still get work done while you’re getting your inner caveman on. Oh! And it’s totally the most defensible place in the tower. You should definitely set up your den in my lab.”

Bucky may never have needed an omega to settle him during Rut before, but he was pretty extra sure that wasn’t how it worked.

“Yeah, okay, Tony. I’ll set up a den in your lab.”

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Tony woke up warm, surrounded by soft fluffiness that he just wanted to shove his face into. He must have broken out the blankets he used for his heats, the ones trimmed in fur, alpaca wool, and the finest microfiber. He’d always enjoyed having a whole pile of them to snuggle with. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for him to pull them out even when he wasn’t in heat, especially during the winter. He stretched languidly before rolling over… Right into another person.

Right. Bucky was in Rut and had set up a den in his lab, which Tony had decided to help with. He’d broken out the blankets to help make the den more comfortable, carting in just about every pillow and cushion he owned. The bots had helped. YOU, especially, had taken great joy in arranging the pillows and blankets. It was a good thing Bucky didn’t see them as a threat.

Of course, the downside was that Bucky hadn’t let Tony just work through the night. He’d grumbled and fidgeted and finally dragged Tony into the designated sleeping area somewhere around midnight. He’d also lain half on top of Tony to keep him from trying to sneak back out into the main portion of the lab. Now, he was wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist and pulling him closer. His nose pressed into Tony’s neck as the alpha made a snuffling sort of noise in his sleep. The genius sighed and settled back into the cushions, knowing he’d be there a while.

A quiet beep sounded from the side, drawing his attention to where DUM-E hovered with a tablet clutched in his claw. Just behind him was BUTTERFINGERS with a bag of dried blueberries. Tony’s lips pulled upwards into a grin as he reached out to take the offerings without waking Bucky up. Yes! Now he could actually still get some work done.

“Don’t think this makes up for the motor oil in our smoothies last night, DUM-E,” he said with a grin. “But it’s close. Good boys.”

The bots whirred happily before wheeling away to get into who even knew what other trouble. Tony would have to deal with that later, once Bucky was awake.

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Bucky was glad Tony had shown up. He really, really was. He was much more content prowling around Tony’s lab while the genius worked than he thought he would be. Mostly, he paced the walls to ‘check the perimeter’ and ‘fortified’ the glorified blanket fort that was his and Tony’s den. JARVIS was monitoring things and keeping the others updated, YOU made runs to the communal floor for fresh food whenever needed, and Tony didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by Bucky poking around his stuff.

Of course, he also wasn’t acting meek or submissive, like Bucky had also kind of thought omegas were supposed to be when dealing with an alpha in Rut. In fact, Tony had even read aloud a section in one of his ebooks about how he was supposed to behave, “like a God damned princess stuck in a tower while my knight in shining armor fights for my honor. Yeah, that’s not happening.” Bucky kind of liked that attitude. He was pretty sure any threat that got past him would be screwed to have to face off with Tony.

They were lucky to make it through the entire week without there being a call to action for the Avengers. It just sucked that their luck couldn’t hold out forever. Bucky and Tony were curled up on opposite ends of the couch, their feet tucked up against each other’s calves when the alarm sounded. They both immediately jumped to their feet, only to freeze.

“ _Shit_ ,” Tony cursed. “We didn’t talk about this.”

Hell, they hadn’t talked about much anything. There hadn’t been any time. Putting Bucky around other people, though? Other _alphas?_ There was no way that would be a good idea. Suddenly, Bucky couldn’t even think of anything other than Tony going out there and being hurt, being taken, being _killed_. A deep, rumbling growl rose in his throat as he inched his way closer to Tony. The genius cursed again.

“What’s the situation, J? Give me some facts to work with.”

“It appears the Brotherhood is staging another attack, Sir. So far, there have been confirmed sightings of Juggernaut, Toad, Pyro, Lifter, and Shocker. There are also reports of two more mutants present, both unidentified and both young. The X-Men have requested that the Avengers handle the situation as they are currently out handling another call.”

Tony groaned, and Bucky completely understood where he was coming from. Seven mutants would be hard to deal with, even if the whole team was there.

“Any sign of Magneto?”

“None, Sir.”

Tony’s gaze darted towards Bucky and the alpha knew without a doubt that there would be no keeping Tony from going. His team needed him. _Their_ team needed him.  He grabbed the omega’s arm before he could disappear.

“Not alone,” he near begged. “Take me with you.”

Tony’s hesitation was clear.

“It wouldn’t be safe.”

“Which is exactly why I need to be there!”

Much to Bucky’s horror, Tony was shaking his head.

“You wouldn’t be able to control yourself.”

The ex-assassin’s expression darkened.

“I can control myself just fine.”

“You’re in _Rut_. It’d be like me saying I should be able to go to a club while I was in Heat. I’m all for defying stereotypes, you _know_ I am, but _biology_ is a bit harder to escape.”

Bucky grumbled.

“I won’t let you get hurt. I _will not_ allow it.”

Tony sent him a small, but warm smile.

“I know, I know. You’ll protect me from any and every threat _ever_ , alpha.” Warmth bloomed in Bucky’s chest and he couldn’t keep the grin off his face before Tony continued, “Unfortunately, I have concerns about that protection being extended to the rest of our team. Look, Iron Man can stay grounded if needed, but it won’t matter if bringing you in means more danger for the others. I might as well just stay here.”

Part of Bucky leapt at the thought of Tony staying in his den and out of harm’s way. He came very close to agreeing before another part of him piped up. Tony would never be satisfied staying behind when others were in danger. He would fret and worry, affecting his emotional wellbeing even if his physical wellbeing went unthreatened.

“I won’t attack anyone who doesn’t attack you,” he promised, meaning every word and hoping Tony would believe him.

The genius still seemed hesitant but the clock was ticking and they both knew it.

“Okay, but if I think for even a second that you’re going to deviate from that promise, I’m grabbing you and we’re coming straight back. I don’t care what your excuse is.”

“Deal,” Bucky agreed, not taking the chance of Tony second guessing himself and changing his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve needs to make better choices.

The battlefield was, of course, utter chaos. Most civilians had, thankfully, already fled the scene but there were still a few left who had chosen to hide instead of running. It would be an important part of the Avengers’ job to get those people to safety. Normally Tony would be at the forefront. As an omega, he could keep people calm when they otherwise would freak out. Panic was the last thing anyone needed in a situation like this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a job that Tony could do today.

“Widow, we need you on evac duty,” Steve commanded over the coms. “Thor, steer Hulk toward Juggernaut and keep him focused. He’s the only one with the kind of power it’ll take to stop that guy once he gets started.”

“Consider it done, Captain. I will handle any other foes who might think to interrupt their duel.”

“Great. Hawkeye, I need eyes up high. What’s going on?”

“On the way up with Falcon now. You’ll know as soon as I do. It’d be helpful if Iron Man were here, though.”

“Sorry, birdbrain,” Tony spoke up as he zoomed down to land, releasing Bucky from his arms once they were on the ground, “my wings are clipped for today. You and Falcon will have to keep an eye on things. Redwing can help.”

“Tony!” Steve shouted, which, really, was uncalled for. Was he _trying_ to blow out Tony’s eardrum? “What are you doing here? Where’s Bucky?”

“Here, too,” Bucky answered over his own coms.

“And I thought we weren’t supposed to use real names on missions. You’re such a rule breaker, Cap.”

“Don’t,” Natasha snapped. “You just brought an unstable alpha into a _battle zone_. What the Hell, Stark?”

Tony could see Bucky’s hackles rising and jumped in before the other could start growling audibly.

“We have an agreement. I stay on the ground and he doesn’t attack anyone who doesn’t attack me. Any issues and I’ll get us back to the tower before you can blink.”

“You better _hope_ nothing happens.”

Tony grinned.

“You got it, Cap. We’ve got eyes on Pyro, preparing to engage.”

The punk, a teen just a few years younger than Tony himself, was gleefully setting fire to an SUV. Tony wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the fire had nothing to do with whatever the Brotherhood’s goal for the day was. Pyro should just rename himself Arson.

“Didn’t your mom ever teach you not to break other people’s toys?”

Pyro turned toward them, grinning madly.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Avengers’ omega bitch. I’m not sure if I should be honored they let you out of bed for this or insulted you think you can handle me,” he sneered.

Tony rolled his eyes at the immature posturing. Pyro was the kind of alpha who gave the alpha orientation a bad name.

“Save it for someone who cares. You gonna turn yourself in or am I gonna have to kick your ass again?”

It wasn’t like it’d be the first time. Pyro, though, decided to answer the question by launching a giant fireball in their direction, forcing both Bucky and Tony to dive out of the way.

“Kicking your ass it is,” Tony growled. “I’m gonna enjoy this.”

He fired a repulsor at Pyro’s feet, unbalancing him. Bucky charged at the same time, his face twisted into an angry snarl. Pyro had barely gotten his feet back under him before a metal fist slammed into his face. He went down like a ton of bricks, nose bloody and unmoving.

“Holy shit, please tell me you didn’t just kill him.”

Bucky grimaced down at the teenager.

“No,” he groused, “but he would deserve it if I did. Ain’t no excuse to talk that way to nobody. Even less to talk that way to _you._ ”

Tony couldn’t help the way his lips twitched up into a smile as he headed over.

“My hero,” he said, before bending to check Pyro’s pulse.

It was steady and strong, so he clapped on some restraints. He opened up the coms again.

“Pyro’s been apprehended. Requesting retrieval.”

“Received,” Hill’s voice came over the coms. “Agents are on their way to your location now.”

“Great. Bastard’s unconscious and restrained. Winter Solider and I are moving on.”

“Language,” Cap reprimanded, like he didn’t curse every other word at the slightest provocation.

Tony just rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. Come on, Winnie the Pooh. Let’s see how quickly we can wrap this up. The punching was great, just make sure you don’t kill anybody.”

Bucky reached up to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Anthony Robin, I’ll be on my best behavior.”

.

..

…

..

.

Turned out the two young, unknown mutants were unknown because they hadn’t been mutants before that day. The Brotherhood was using yet another scheme to activate the mutant gene in those who carried it. This time it was by injecting experimental chemicals into unsuspecting youths. Luckily, the two kids would have a place at the Xavier school, along with the others that the Brotherhood had gotten to across the world. There’d been six separate attacks, all handled by different hero teams.

Bucky was just glad it wasn’t their problem. It meant that they could go back to their den and he could drag Tony down into the cushions to check him over for injuries. Logically, he knew the genius was fine. He hadn’t even taken any hits. It didn’t stop him from stripping the younger down to his boxers, though, and Tony only kept those because he’d demanded it. He was running his hands meticulously over every inch of Tony’s exposed skin when Steve came storming into the lab.

“Tony! I know you’re in here!”

Bucky tensed, instantly responding to the anger in the other alpha’s voice, but Tony just stuck his head out past the wall of blankets that blocked line of sight to the door.

“I have a ridiculously hot alpha ripping my clothes off at the moment. Can this wait?”

Steve didn’t seem amused.

“This isn’t a joke, Tony. This is serious. What were you thinking bringing Bucky with you to the fight? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You have to think about the consequences of what you do.”

Tony bristled, which made Bucky want to punch Steve like he had Pyro.

“Okay, first of all, _uncalled for_. Second, I absolutely did think of the consequences. Bucky and I talked about it and made a deal. It was handled. What was I supposed to do? Leave him here? He’d have flipped.”

“He’s in _Rut_ , Tony!”

“He’s also _right here_ ,” Bucky growled, moving just past Tony and out of the den.

He noted where all of the bots were in the lab, watching the action.

 “Bucky,” Steve turned to him, “you’re not in complete control of yourself. Tony should have been more careful.”

“I’m in control _enough_ ,” he bit out right back.

He could see Steve’s back going up. It was a natural response, but still a threatening one.

“Oh, yeah?” Steve challenged. “And what if you had hurt someone on the team? You broke Pyro’s nose, Buck.”

“Punk was running his mouth. Maybe it should serve as a lesson for anyone else who thinks about doing the same.”

His tone was laced with double meaning, and Steve certainly didn’t miss it. Tony moved closer to his side, clearly nervous.

“Are you threatening me?” Steve asked, disbelieving but still aggressive.

“Look, Steve, nothing happened, okay?” Tony placated. He looked painfully vulnerable standing there in nothing but his boxers, scars crisscrossing his skin. “Everything went fine and we all got back without a problem. Hopefully, we don’t get another call out until after Bucky’s Rut is over. Maybe this is a conversation better left for then?”

Steve still didn’t seem happy, but he did back down a bit. He sent a sharp look Tony’s way.

“If we do get called out, _both_ of you stay here. No discussion.”

Tony held up his hands and bared his throat in a submissive move and Bucky _hated_ it. He wanted to rip Steve’s throat right out of his neck, but managed to restrain himself. Tony was trying to _stop_ this from escalating to violence. Bucky _knew_ that. He’d be disappointed if Bucky attacked now.

“Sure, Steve. No problem. I’d rather cuddle anyway. I’m really starting to think we should rename Bucky to The Winter Snuggler. Seriously. The man has a _gift_.”

Steve didn’t seem anywhere near as amused by the thought as Tony was. A lot of that probably had to do with the tension between Steve and Bucky. Off to the side, YOU beeped and moved a bit closer, clearly testing the waters of whether or not it was safe to approach. Bucky growled lowly at Steve, warningly.

“As soon as Bucky’s out of Rut, we’re figuring out another arrangement.”

Tony reared back.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s pretty obvious that this isn’t working out, and it was only ever a ‘desperate times’ arrangement anyway. Bucky should have someone who knows what they’re doing.”

“I _do_ know what I’m doing, Steve,” Tony snapped.

The other alpha huffed in irritation.

“You know what I mean, Tony. A professional.”

“Oh, yeah, Steve. I know _exactly_ what you mean.”

“ _Tony-_ “

“Nope,” Tony said, suddenly all false-cheer. “Done with the bad vibes. Out of my lab, storm cloud.”

He made a little shooing motion that Steve did not look to at all appreciate.

“That’s no-“

“I said out. Don’t make me say it again.”

YOU seemed to decide that was his cue and he rolled forward to tug at Steve’s sleeve. Bucky’s shoulders went up nearly to his ears at the sight. Steve frowned at the bot and Bucky’s vision nearly whited out with the effort of not lunging at him.

“Goddammit, Tony! Get your bot off me!”

He pushed at YOU’s arm, not roughly, but hard enough to force it away from him. All Bucky saw was this other alpha pushing his omega’s kid. He _lost it._

.

..

…

..

.

Steve had healed, been back to tip top shape after only a few days. Bucky had broken a few bones, including giving Steve a nose to match Pyro’s, but there wasn’t any permanent damage. The super soldier serum had taken care of it. Tony’d felt riddled with guilt and was freaking out all over the place, trying to keep it from Bucky but only succeeding in riling Bucky up more. The alpha had, gently, forced him _and_ the bots into the makeshift den and guarded it like he was expecting an invasion at any moment.

He’d been downright aggressively affectionate with his touches and cuddles, not only with Tony but with the bots as well. They’d eaten dried fruit and nuts, power bars, and any other snacks Tony had squirreled away. Tony wasn’t able to get any work done, what with Bucky’s fussing, but he was at least able to keep in touch with the others for updates. Bruce was looking into trying to figure out just exactly what had happened.

There had been concerns raised about whether or not Tony should be allowed to stay, what the danger was that Bucky posed to _him_. Steve had the serum on his side to help him heal, but if Bucky turned on Tony he wouldn’t recover so quickly. Natasha, in particular, was on the forefront of that thought process, but it was eventually determined that trying to remove Tony would be a surefire way to set Bucky off, where he’d gone back to being peaceful as soon as Steve was out of the area. Plus the lab had Tony’s suits, JARVIS, and the bots to keep things under control.

It was determined that the team would monitor them closely, someone always up and nearby just in case. Tony’s Heat was set to begin in just over two weeks, so the team would give Bucky eight days to come out of his Rut before they went in to retrieve Tony. It was possible Bucky’s hormones could trigger Tony’s Heat a few days earlier than scheduled and if Tony started putting off those hormones around an alpha in Rut… Neither of them would be fully in control of themselves and it wasn’t a risk the team was willing to take. Tony agreed completely.

Bucky’s Rut broke within twenty-four hours of the deadline, close enough that it had everyone sweating with nerves. It was a slow ease out of the more animalistic mindset and back to himself, just as it had been a slow ease doing in, but it took a matter of hours rather than days. Tony watched the transition with some fascination, having never actually seen it personally before. He’d grown up in the mansion with Howard’s Ruts, of course, but he’d certainly never helped with them. Howard hadn’t exactly needed help and probably wouldn’t have accepted any even if he did. He had barely ever even seemed more protective of Tony during that time. Omega or not, Tony hadn’t ranked high enough on his radar to make much of a difference.

With Bucky, it was like watching someone slowly come down from a drug-induced high. _That_ , Tony had seen plenty of at MIT. The exhaustion of being on high alert for so many days in a row started to show as Bucky abandoned standing guard in exchange for wrapping himself around Tony and holding him close. He became less visibly irritated and paranoid, his muscles relaxing. It wasn’t until nearly the very end that he even seemed to remember getting in a fight with Steve at all. He’d needed Tony’s help with some of the details, but the guilt set in pretty quickly.

“Aw, shit, Stevie, I’m so sorry,” were the first words out of his mouth when he and Tony emerged from the lab and onto the common floor where the rest of the team was gathered.

Steve, of course, was already waving the apology away.

“I should’ve known better than to enter another alpha’s territory when he was in Rut and get aggressive. This is as much my fault as yours, Buck.”

Bucky looked like he wanted to argue, but luckily Bruce intervened before he could.

“JARVIS and I have actually found a few interesting explanations for what happened, actually. We reviewed the recording of the whole incident carefully, of course, and it actually seemed to be going rather well for a little while. Tony had the situation handled between the two of you until Steve touched YOU. _That’s_ what set Bucky off.”

Bucky ducked his head guiltily.

“I didn’t mean to,” he swore. “I _knew_ you weren’t gonna hurt him, Stevie. I just couldn’t seem to make myself get it.”

“Of course I wasn’t going to hurt Tony.”

“No, YOU. You shoved him away and I knew it wasn’t a _hard_ push but all I could focus on was how much damage you _could_ do if you wanted to. The bots don’t exactly have defense systems.”

Tony felt his jaw drop.

“Wait,” he interjected, “are you saying you got that defensive over my bots?”

Bucky looked confused for a moment.

“Yeah?” he questioned, as if not sure that was the answer Tony wanted. “They’re pretty much your kids. If one of them got hurt, it’d hurt you. Plus, you know, somebody hurtin’ one of your bots would be like someone hurtin’ a puppy. It’s all kinds of wrong.”

That was… actually really sweet. Tony had to force down the bubbly, warm feeling rising in his chest before he started grinning like an idiot. Barnes himself got a truckload of extra brownie points added to Tony’s mental tally. There weren’t a lot of people who saw Tony’s bots as actual beings like he did. It went a long way.

“So that’s why you dragged them all into the den with us after Steve was gone,” he said instead, to avoid spilling his mushy feelings all over the room. “You saw them as _our_ kids. Guess maybe I shouldn’t have skipped that section of the book after all.”

Bucky blushed furiously.

“I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. I’m sorry.”

He looked so guilty all over again that Tony had to squirm under his arm and press himself close to the alpha’s side.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he insisted. “It’s adorable. Just know this means you’re going to have to help pay for their college educations.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One step closer! Only two more chapters left until the end of this fic. We're almost there, people. Please feel free to leave comments and feedback below!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's heat and how its handled.

Tony headed up to the penthouse the day before his Heat was scheduled to start, just to be on the safe side. He had to collect all his blankets and pillows from Bucky’s den in his lab, since he still hadn’t gotten around to cleaning it up. That was fine. It was all going to need washing after his Heat was over anyway. Sweat and slick were not things you wanted sitting around for weeks. Nasty.

He spent a few hours arranging everything on his bed to his satisfaction and going over with JARVIS to make sure he had everything he’d need, enough food and sports drinks to get him through the whole thing. In all honesty, Tony felt like Heats were more trouble than they were worth. He’d happily do away with them all together if he could without permanently messing up his body. They meant a guaranteed three-to-six days of every month that he wouldn’t be able to get any work done. It was all just one big hassle, if you asked him.

But, it was also unavoidable and something Tony had been dealing with for just about a decade now. His first Heat had been when he was thirteen and they’d stayed pretty regular since then. God, they’d been _awful_ in Afghanistan. His guards had been all betas for the duration and they’d made him work through the fog and discomfort of his Heat. It was better than the alternative, at least. There’d been one alpha guard who’d decided to try his luck anyway and had been shot dead right in front of Tony. It was almost as bad as having to watch those soldiers die. Turned out the experience isn’t much better when it’s an enemy.

That time was over, though, and there was no need to dwell on it. Now there were much more pleasant things to focus on, like having a team full of incredibly hot eye candy for teammates. Having Bucky’s scent still on his blankets and pillows also meant that Tony would be surrounded by that alpha musk for the duration of his Heat and that would be wonderful. The thought alone had Tony humming cheerily as he dragged his trunk full of toys out of the back of his closet. Oh, yes. If Tony was going to be stuck in the penthouse for the next few days, he was going to make _damn_ sure he enjoyed every second of it.

.

.

…

..

.

Bucky jerked out of a dead sleep and into an upright seated position, his pistol pointed unwaveringly at the door to his room. Someone was on the other side, pounding rapidly.

“Buh-Bucky…”

The ex-assassin was out of the bed and across the room in a heartbeat, flinging the door open at the sound of the desperate whine. Tony was in his arms less than a moment later, pressing closer than Bucky would have thought humanly possible and shivering violently. Bucky wrapped one arm around his waist and kept the other one up, gun pointed down the hall as he checked for pursuers.

Tony’s Heat-scent was so strong he could hardly think straight, but there was no reason for Tony to be out of his penthouse in this condition if there wasn’t an emergency. He’d only been up in the penthouse for two days now. He’d have at least one more to go before his Heat was over. The coast cleared, Bucky pulled Tony further into the room and toed the door shut. He steered the compliant omega towards his bed, running his hands over Tony’s form to check for injuries.

“Are you hurt?” he asked urgently.

Tony shook his head and nuzzled closer to Bucky’s collarbone, the skin of it exposed since Bucky had worn nothing but his boxers to bed. The movement and the omega’s scent were causing arousal to start pooling in the alpha’s abdomen, desire rising in his chest, but Bucky suppressed the urges with some difficulty.

“JARVIS? You online?”

“Always, Sergeant Barnes. There are no signs of intruders within the tower. Sir left his penthouse of his own free will and insisted on being brought to your floor. It appears his current Heat is being exceptionally hard on him.”

“Buuuckyyyy,” the smaller brunette whined again, finally tilting his head up so that Bucky could see his pupils blown wide with arousal. “It _burns_. It’s so _hot_. Make it better. Please, Bucky…”

Bucky shuddered. Tony’s words were slurring just a bit, but it did nothing to lessen the appeal of his begging.

“What’s wrong?” he asked gruffly. “What do you need?”

God, he hadn’t realized he could _want_ another person so badly. Tony’s fingers curled over Bucky’s shoulders as if he were trying to pull the alpha down towards him.

“You,” he panted. “I can smell you in my nest. You smell so _good_ … Please, I need you. I need you in me so bad. I feel so _empty_.”

Bucky’s swallowed convulsively, his hands falling to grip Tony’s hips and keep him still.

“I can’t,” he choked out. “It’s your Heat talking. You don’t really want me, Tony.”

“I do,” the omega promised. “I want you. I _need_ you, Bucky.”

Bucky forced himself to move back and away from Tony, taking a step in the opposite direction.

“I can’t trust that.”

Tony’s eyes were impossibly wide, hurt creeping into them.

“I helped you through your Rut,” he said tentatively, as if trying to puzzle it out. With his Heat clouding his thoughts, he probably was. “Why won’t you help me? You don’t… You don’t want me, alpha?”

A growl ripped itself from Bucky’s throat before he could stop it.

“More than anything.”

“Then why won’t you help me?”

It was a battle for Bucky to wrestle himself back under control. He reached out slowly, with trembling hands, to pull Tony back into his chest. He ran his fingers gently through soft hair.

“I will. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just not… not like _that_ , okay?”

“But I-“

“Do you trust me, Tony?” Bucky cut him off before he could launch into a string of far-too-tempting protests.

“Of course,” was the immediate answer.

“Then trust me to take care of you. I’m gonna get you through this and I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, okay? You’re safe with me.”

Tony’s answering grin was wide and open, joyful in a way Tony never really let himself be normally.

“I’m always safe with you. That’s why you’re my alpha.”

.

..

…

..

.

Tony’s body ached, as it always did whenever he ‘awoke’ from his Heats. He made a mental note to have JARVIS call his masseuse over later. In the meantime, he was in desperate need of a shower. It felt like every inch of his skin was covered in slick and sweat. Gross. He _was_ warm, though, and that really wasn’t motivating him to move at _all._ Plus, everything smelled just absolutely delicious. Not as delicious as freshly brewed coffee, of course, but it was a close second.

 Tony buried his nose closer to the source of the scent and all but purred when a hand started stroking up and down his spine. It took his sluggish mind a few moments to put the puzzle pieces together. Bleary eyes blinked open to stare up at the scruff that dotted Bucky’s chin. The alpha sent him a lopsided grin.

“Hey,” he murmured, “you back with me? You were pretty out of it, but your smell’s calmed down now. Come on, hun, let me see those pretty eyes of yours.”

Bucky shifted them into a more upright position and placed a hand on the side of Tony’s face to tilt it where he wanted it to go. Tony let him, still feeling like his entire body was weighed down against the effort of moving.

“Ah, yeah, your pupils look better. That’s good. How are you doing? Can you talk for me, Tony?”

The omega managed to scrounge up an inarticulate sound of acceptance, which had Bucky smiling all over again.

“Alright, that’s a great start. There’s no hurry. I know the transitions are the hardest. You’re in there, though, right? Aware? Gimme a blink, if you can.”

It took some effort, but Tony eventually managed.

“Good, good, then I can go ahead and start talking. I know it’ll all come back to you eventually, but just to clarify before you can freak out, we have _not_ had sex. I guess I should have washed the sheets you lent me for my den after my Rut. I didn’t realize you’d use them for your Heat. My scent kinda triggered you, I guess. You came down to my floor, freaking out, and I eventually got you back up here. The team’s aware of the situation. JARVIS passed it on to Doc. You’re, uh, you’re gorgeous, by the way, and, aw, _hell_ , did you test me, but I swear on my life that no advantages were taken.”

It took a minute for Tony to process the new information, but he could feel the embarrassed flush burning his cheeks as he kept his eyes determinately away from Bucky’s face. God, how mortifying. Yeah, sure, it was biology but _shit_. He’d never be able to look Bucky in the eye again.

“Look,” Bucky continued awkwardly, “it doesn’t have to change anything if you don’t want it to. I get it. I certainly don’t have any right to judge after what I did to Stevie. Not that I’d judge anyway cause that’s just all kinds of wrong, but, you know, just to cover it. I wouldn’t. I don’t think any less of you. And I understand if it makes you uncomfortable, having me here. I swear I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t shown up at my door. Maybe I should have left again once you were up here but I just, I didn’t feel right about it. You would have freaked out and you took me into that fight when I was in Rut instead of just leaving me to deal with it so how could I abandon you? It’d make me the worst kinda person.”

Tony struggled to force cooperation out of his vocal cords.

“Nah…” he breathed. “That… ‘d be if youuu… took advantage. You’rrre good.”

Bucky looked down at him with delighted surprise.

“You’re talking! That’s great! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I can go make some eggs and toast or something, if you want.”

Tony shook his head and managed a muffled, “Ssstay… Tired.”

Bucky nodded in agreement and settled back down.

“Sure, absolutely. Whatever you need. Anyway, I was gonna tell you that I’d find someone else to handle my next Rut. Doc said there are professionals who do that now? I’ll just have to get to know one of them or something beforehand so I’m comfortable with the omega. I just… I don’t want to put you in this situation again. You’re amazing, Tony, and I already owe you so much. Thank you, for helping me and being as selfless as you have been, but I can’t ask this of you. It ain’t right.”

Something in Tony’s chest tightened at that, but he couldn’t find the words to express his feelings. He just stayed quiet instead. If Bucky thought it was the right thing to do, then that was probably true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a commenter got me thinking about what would have happened if Steve had pushed/grabbed Tony instead of YOU last chapter in the lab... Anybody interested in seeing that alternate storyline? I haven't decided to write it yet, just seeing if there's interest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! *airguitars*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, guys! Well, almost.

“You helped Mr. Barnes through his last Rut, correct?”

Tony peered over the rim of his coffee mug at the omega the agency had sent over. She was slender, too skinny, really. She’d snap like a twig at the slightest breeze, he thought uncharitably. Her dyed-blonde hair was long and artfully styled with wide curls that probably took her a solid hour to do every day. Her makeup was impeccable, too, and Tony couldn’t help but think sourly that she wouldn’t be able to keep up her meticulous appearance while Bucky was in Rut. He’d like to see what she looked like at the end of the three weeks or however long this one took.

“Yeah. It came on a bit unexpectedly. There wasn’t time to call a service.”

“Yes, they briefed me on the situation. My name’s Alexandria Hampton, by the way, but you can call me Ally, if you’d like. I have a couple questions about your experience with Mr. Barnes. Do you have a few minutes?”

“Sergeant,” Tony corrected as he glanced at his watch to check the time. He had a good twenty minutes before his next meeting.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s not ‘Mr.’ Barnes. It’s ‘Sergeant.’ He did his service to his country and too many people have already tried to take that away. And, yes, I have a few minutes. What do you need?”

She looked startled for a moment before recovering her composure and making a note on her tablet.

“Yes, of course. Thank you. Sgt. Barnes, it is. I knew about his service, of course, but I hadn’t made the connection to his… I’ll make sure to use it from now on.” Tony had a bitter moment of questioning her intelligence, which was a bit odd. Where had this black mood suddenly come from? “Could you tell me a bit more about Sgt. Barnes’s behavior during his Rut? Getting the information from your perspective would be very helpful.”

“Cooperative, I guess. He wasn’t aggressive expect for when we got called out, which was completely justified because _bad guys_ , and when Steve came down. He was a little paranoid, but that was to be expected. He patrolled the perimeter of the lab sometimes, but he was mostly calm throughout the whole thing.”

Alexandria took notes as he talked.

“Right, the lab. Do you know why he picked that location for his den? It’s a bit unusual, so I’m just wondering.”

Tony felt his lip twitch as he fought down a smile at the memory.

“Yeah, he didn’t, really. I suggested it and he just kind of went along with it.”

She stared at him for a moment.

“ _You_ suggested it?”

“Uh, yeah? I wanted to be able to still work on my projects. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m kind of a busy guy. I can’t afford to take all that time off, especially when I have to take the time off for my Heats on top of it.”

“That’s… very unusual, Mr. Stark. Does he spend a lot of time in your lab normally?”

Tony wrinkled his nose in thought.

“Not really? I mean, he comes down for maintenance on his arm or when I need him to test something out for me. He’s _great_ about that. I’ve never had such a willing accomplice before. But, no, he’s not in there all the time.”

Alexandria frowned as she wrote something else down.

“Sgt. Barnes and I haven’t yet talked specifically about where he’d like to spend his next Rut, but it can cause difficulties sometimes if the den is in a new location than what the alpha is used to. Would you be willing to offer up some of your lab space again?”

Tony could _feel_ how his expression locked down and hardened at the question.

“I’m afraid you wouldn’t have the clearance. I deal with a lot of projects that involve security threats on a national and global scale for the Avengers and several of my contractors, not to mention what I do just for Stark Industries. Bucky has clearance, but you don’t. Even if you started the process today, you wouldn’t be able to _get_ clearance for at least eight months anyway. That’s just how long it’d take for the background checks and reviews to clear.”

The smile she gave him was tight lipped, but still friendly.

“Of course. A man in your position has to be careful. I mean, all of you do, with being superheroes and all. I’ll see if Sgt. Barnes has any other preferences on space.”

Tony checked his watch again, not even five minutes had passed.

“Well, I need to get going,” he lied. “Talk to JARVIS if you have any more questions and he can pass them along. It was nice meeting you, Ms. Hampton.”

“And you, Mr. Stark! Thank you again!”

.

..

…

..

.

Ally was nice, Bucky willed himself to think. She really was. There wasn’t anything _wrong_ with her and they’d been matched through the agency’s extensive questionnaire to make sure they were compatible so there shouldn’t have been a problem. And Bucky did think she was a perfectly nice person. It was just that he couldn’t seem to settle his nerves.

He’d been expecting it this time, the buildup and excess energy that said his Rut was coming. It’d been a solid two months since the last one so it wasn’t like they were back to back. Hell, Tony’d had a second Heat before Bucky’d started showing the signs. (Apparently, it’d been a rough one, too. Tony hadn’t looked great when he came back from it.)

Ally had come to the tower within an hour and a half of Bucky’s call, though, and had stayed with him since her arrival. They stuck mostly to Bucky’s floor, where he’d decided to make his den this time, but they also ventured out at least a couple times a day before Bucky’s Rut had fully set in. Now Ally was ensconced on Bucky’s bed while he paced the hallway outside of the room, growling faintly. Things just weren’t _right_. His last Rut hadn’t felt like this.

“Is this everything you used for your last Rut?” Ally asked, coming towards him wrapped up in the throw he kept across the foot of his bed.

She reached out to touch his arm but he shied away.

“No,” he groused, irrationally irritated. “Tony lent me some extra stuff last time.”

Because Tony was amazing. Bucky couldn’t help wondering what he was doing. What if he got attacked while Bucky was stuck in here? What if he got kidnapped? What was left of HYDRA was still out for his blood, not to mention just the standard Avengers calls and all the other enemies he’d made during his time as a hero. God, _anything_ could happen and there’d be nothing Bucky could do to stop it.

Ally’s voice made him startle a bit. He’d nearly forgotten she was there.

“I could go ask him if he wouldn’t mind doing it again? Or we can see if JARVIS would pass it on,” she said gently, her tone concerned. “You’re very unsettled, Sgt. Barnes. You shouldn’t be this unsettled at this point.”

He nodded along absently, listening with only half an ear as she started talking to JARVIS about it. He only tuned back in when he heard Tony’s voice coming from the speakers.

“Should I send one of the bots with it or come myself? Bucky’s fond of the bots so they should be okay coming into the space.”

He perked up instantly.

“Tony?”

“Hey, there, teddy bear. I hear you’re having a little trouble adjusting to the new den-space. Mind if I come by to drop some things off or would you rather DUM-E do it? I’m afraid YOU is off limits right now. He’s having a timeout after he dumped my smoothie in my lap.”

Bucky couldn’t help his grin at the mental image.

“You can come,” he said. He was dimly aware of Ally watching him assessingly but he paid her no real mind. “When?”

“I’ll be by as soon as I can,” Tony promised. “I’m in the elevator already to grab the stuff from the penthouse. Don’t worry, it’s all been freshly laundered.”

Bucky couldn’t think of why that might be a problem.

“Good,” was his only answer.

“Yeah, Bucky, see you soon.”

The connection ended and it was like all of the alpha’s tension came rushing back. He hadn’t even really realized it was gone. He hoped Tony hurried. Maybe the extra stuff was all he needed.

He went back to pacing while he waited for Tony’s arrival. Ally didn’t try to stop him, just kept her watchful gaze on him.

.

..

…

..

.

Tony was nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet by the time the elevator door slid open on Bucky’s floor. He hauled the cart with the blankets and pillows out with him. He didn’t even have to look around to see Bucky striding purposely towards him from the hallway that led toward his room. Alexandria was trailing behind him, wrapped in one of Bucky’s blankets, and Tony scowled at her for all of a second before Bucky reached him and all but curled around Tony. His arms tightened their hold until Tony brought his own up to hug the alpha back.

“Hey, bud. It’s good to see you, too. I brought the blankets. Let’s see if we can’t make you a bit more comfortable, yeah?”

Bucky beamed at him, making absolutely no move to let him go.

“I feel better already.”

Tony chuckled.

“Good, then you can help me haul all of this stuff over to your room. Don’t tell me you were planning on making me do all the work myself.”

Bucky immediately jumped to pull a load of blankets off the cart.

“Of course not.”

Tony just rolled his eyes and turned to Ally, his smile stiffening a bit.

“Is it alright if I go back there or should I stay out here?”

She had a little frown on her face as she watched him, but it seemed more like she was trying to figure something out than actual disapproval.

“I’m sure it won’t make any difference,” she said after a moment’s pause.

Bucky was already down the hall with his load so Tony just grabbed some pillows and followed him.

“So how’re things going so far?” he asked Bucky, just to make conversation. “I know you’re having a little trouble with the den, but how’s Alexandria?”

It took a bit of effort to keep his voice from betraying any negative feelings on the matter. For his part, Bucky just gave a one-shouldered shrug as he arranged the blankets.

“What are you doing?” the alpha asked instead of really answering the question. It set red flags off all through Tony’s brain. “Getting a bunch of projects done?”

“A few,” he hedged, moving closer and glancing back over his shoulder. Ally still hadn’t come to join them. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

Bucky turned to look at him, his gaze searching.

“You don’t trust her,” he settled on, a hint of a growl entering his voice.

Tony instantly held up his hands to seem less threatening. He very distinctly remembered what’d happened to Steve during Bucky’s last Rut. Not that Bucky would ever hurt him, just that it wasn’t a good idea to piss off an alpha in Rut.

“She passed Natasha’s security screening,” he said instead, “and she seems nice enough.”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed as he looked back toward the door. He stared down the hallway for a long moment.

“But you still don’t trust her.”

Tony’s gut twisted.

“There’s just something about her,” he said. “I can’t put my finger on it.”

Bucky’s expression twisted in a snarl, but it was still pointed down the hall, not at Tony.

“I haven’t been able to settle with her here,” he acknowledged and Tony’s heart soared.

He _knew it_. He’d _known_ something was off about her.

“I haven’t felt right about her since the first time we met,” he admitted. “She asked about my lab.”

This time, Bucky’s snarl was audible.

“A _spy_.”

Tony’s mood darkened at the prospect.

“If she is, I don’t know how she slipped by Natasha. She can’t be around you like this, though. You’re vulnerable.”

Bucky’s gaze snapped toward Tony as he stepped closer to tower over the omega.

“I will not let her hurt you.”

“More concerned about her hurting _you_ , to be honest. Come on, we need to go back out there before she gets suspicious. And put that _face_ away, will you? She’ll figure out we’re onto her in a second.”

Bucky looked affronted for all of a second before making a piss poor effort at covering up his aggression.

“Better?”

“Well, I guess it’s not _worse_.”

They headed out as Natasha was stepping off the elevator, Sam right behind her. Both betas looked disquieted and Tony’s spine stiffened. Alexandria, too, looked a bit on edge.

“What’s happening?” he asked.

“That’s what we came to find out,” Natasha said, sliding her eyes towards Tony. “Ally used Code Yellow. What are you doing here?”

The codes were a system the team had decided on for having a non-fighter omega taking care of Bucky’s Ruts, just to be on the safe side. Code Green meant everything was okay. Yellow meant there was no threat of danger but the omega wanted an extraction. Red meant there was a threat of danger but no action had been taken. Black was triggered by JARVIS if Bucky ever hurt the omega in any way and would call for all of the Avengers to assemble to get the omega out of there.

“I brought blankets,” Tony brushed the question aside. “Why’d you call Code Yellow?”

“Because I shouldn’t be here,” the other omega said. She’d already removed Bucky’s throw and placed it on the cart Tony had brought with him. “I never should have been. I should have known the minute I realized you didn’t like me, Mr. Stark, but you were both so insistent that I didn’t listen to my instincts. I apologize for that.”

Tony desperately tried to figure out her angle.

“What? I like you just fine,” he denied in an attempt to stall.

Alexandria just raised an eyebrow. Okay. So maybe he hadn’t been covering it up as well as he’d thought.

“Look, it’s not your fault,” she said. “I’m trained for this. I should have known. I’m sorry, I can’t be Sgt Barnes’s omega.”

“Why not?” Sam asked, clearly knowing there was something he had missed and trying to figure out what it was before he got left too far behind. “I thought the two of you were matched as compatible.”

“We were, but it doesn’t matter how compatible an omega and an alpha are if the alpha already _has_ an omega.”

Now Tony was just confused.

“But Bucky _doesn’t_ have an omega.”

“Maybe not consciously, but there’s no doubt he does. _You’re_ his omega, Mr. Stark. That’s why he can’t settle with me here. It has nothing to do with the location or the blankets. It’s because I’m not _you_. Tell me, do you think I’m nice?”

“Wha-Yeah? I guess?”

“But not completely. You can’t decide exactly what it is but there’s something about me that bothers you.” Tony snapped his mouth shut, feeling guilty. “It’s okay. It’s a perfectly natural reaction. I’m a threat.”

Tony wanted to argue with that, but found he really couldn’t. He _did_ see her as a threat, to the point he was ready to accuse her of being a spy.

“But… That doesn’t make any sense,” was the only argument he was able to come up with.

“Mr. Stark, just like Sgt. Barnes has subconsciously chosen you as his omega, I think you’ve chosen him as your alpha. Your first Heat after his Rut, you showed up at his door, right?”

Tony’s face heated with the embarrassment of the remainder. He was gonna kill whoever told her that.

“His scent was still on my blankets,” he defended.

Her smile was full of soft understanding.

“I think the two of you should talk,” she said instead of arguing back. “Sgt. Barnes’s still aware enough for you to make a little headway, but don’t make any rash decisions until after his Rut is over, alright? The two of you need to figure out what you want to do about this. If one of you isn’t committed, it needs to be _said_. Now, Mr. Stark, I can remain for the duration of Sgt. Barnes’s Rut if you are unavailable. But if you aren’t then you need to leave sooner rather than later so that he can adjust to you not being here. It won’t be easy on him, but he’ll make it through. If you _can_ stay, it would make things much better for him.”

Nearly every fiber of Tony’s being recoiled at the thought of abandoning Bucky.

“Of course I’ll stay,” he all but insisted, insulted.

Alexandria’s smile grew.

“I thought you might. If either of you need anything at all, at any time, you know how to reach me.”

.

..

…

..

.

Tony and Bucky were apparently both extremely good at avoiding things they wanted to avoid, so they managed not to talk about the new developments all through moving Bucky’s den back down to the lab and through his entire Rut. (Only two and a half weeks this time!) The bright side of it, Bucky supposed, was that he didn’t manage to make a complete idiot of himself while his hormones were talking. The team stayed away, too, so they didn’t have to deal with any prying questions.

Now, Bucky was out of Rut and the two of them had separated to clean up before meeting back in the penthouse to eat Thai food and have the conversation they were both so adamantly avoiding. They still managed to put it off until half-way through the food.

“So… your omega, huh?” Tony finally asked.

“To be fair, you were calling me your alpha first.”

Tony flushed.

“Hey, I was in Heat. I can’t be held responsible for what craziness left my mouth.”

Bucky ducked his head to hide his smile, but sobered quickly.

“Does it bother you? It’s not like we’re actually bonded or anything. We can put a stop to this if we want to.”

Tony was silent for a few minutes as he thought it over, for which Bucky was glad. He _did_ like Tony, a lot, but had never really allowed himself to consider him as a possibility. If there was even a fraction of a chance that Tony might want him, too, then he’d take it. What he didn’t want was Tony rushing into the decision or feeling pressured and regretting it later. He didn’t ever want to give Tony something else to regret.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Tony finally said. “I think it’s going to difficult, just considering the timing of your Ruts and my Heats and even when they sync up it’d be a pain to deal with. And I’m not over everything that’s happened… I like you, Bucky. I think you’re amazing and I know that you had no control over the Winter Soldier. I don’t blame you for any of that, but it’s still these hands that did them,” he said, reaching out to take Bucky’s. “These are the hands that killed my mom and it makes me feel so _guilty_ to want them _on me_. So I can’t just jump into this headfirst. But I also know that I can’t turn my back on it. I don’t _want_ to.” He swallowed roughly a few time. “I can’t promise you anything, which is beyond not fair, especially to you, but, if you’re willing to wait and give it some time, I’d be willing to start with some baby steps.”

Bucky ran his thumbs gently over Tony’s knuckles.

“May I kiss you?” he asked, holding Tony’s gaze and trying to convey the seriousness of the request.

It took the omega a moment, but he nodded. Bucky moved closer, one hand coming up to cup Tony’s cheek. He held his gaze a second longer before leaning in slowly, giving Tony plenty of time to pull away if he wanted to. Tony met him half-way instead.

Their lips met softly, in a light, closed-mouthed kiss that lasted only a heartbeat before they pressed in again. Bucky’s eyes fell shut as he savored the feeling, their lips pressing for longer and longer each time. He considered swiping his tongue over Tony’s lip and asking for entrance, deepening the kiss until they were both panting for air, but he drew away instead.

“Thank you,” he said, as soon as they were apart, though his hand never left Tony’s cheek, “for trusting me with that. You are _remarkable_ , Tony, and I would be _honored_ to be able to call you mine. But I don’t ever want it if it’s not something that you want, too. I’ve taken so much from you and the fact that after all that you would still let me stay here, that you would be my _friend_ … That’s more than I ever could have asked for. It’s more than I would have any right to ask for. So if you need time or space or anything, I’ll give it to you. You set the pace and I’ll be fine. If you need to stop at any time, I will. If you want to walk away, you can,” he choked. “I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

Tony’s hands were trembling just a tiny bit, but you would have never known it by looking at him. He met Bucky’s gaze without flinching.

“You’d never hurt me,” he said. “I know I’m safe with you, my alpha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE: The alternate story I mentioned last chapter HAS been written. I will upload it as part of this series next week so please add the series to your subscriptions, instead of just this story. Or check back next week. Whichever works best for you.

**Author's Note:**

> New chapters will be uploaded weekly or at my remembrance.


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